2018 Barbadian general election
General elections were held in Barbados on 24 May 2018.[1] The result was a landslide victory for the opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP), which won all 30 seats in the House of Assembly,[2] resulting in BLP leader Mia Mottley becoming the country's first female Prime Minister. The BLP's victory was the first time a party had won every seat in the House of Assembly. Previously, the most one-sided result for a Barbadian election had been in 1999, when the BLP won 24 of the 28 seats. The BLP's 73.5 percent vote share was also the highest on record.
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30 seats in the House of Assembly 16 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 59.56% ( 2.46%) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Results by constituency | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Barbados |
The ruling Democratic Labour Party (DLP) led by Freundel Stuart lost all 16 seats,[2] the worst defeat of a sitting government in Barbadian history. The DLP saw its vote share more than halve compared to the previous elections in 2013, with only one of its candidates receiving more than 40 percent of the vote. Stuart was defeated in his own constituency, receiving only 26.7 percent of the vote,[3] the second time a sitting Prime Minister had lost their own seat.
The election was fought primarily on the DLP's stewardship of the economy during its decade in power. The government had had to contend with numerous downgrades of its credit rating due to fallout from the global financial crisis. The BLP criticised the DLP over rising taxes and a declining standard of living, and promised numerous infrastructure upgrades if elected.[3]
Electoral system
The 30 members of the House of Assembly were elected by first-past-the-post voting in single-member constituencies.[4]
Candidates
A record 134 candidates from nine political parties contested the elections. Four of the smaller parties chose to fight together under the 'Coalition of United Parties' banner.[5]
Results
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbados Labour Party | 112,955 | 73.47 | 30 | +16 | |
| Democratic Labour Party | 33,551 | 21.82 | 0 | –16 | |
| Solutions Barbados | 3,772 | 2.45 | 0 | New | |
| United Progressive Party | 1,913 | 1.24 | 0 | New | |
| Barbados Integrity Movement | 340 | 0.22 | 0 | New | |
| Bajan Free Party | 107 | 0.07 | 0 | 0 | |
| People's Democratic Congress | 55 | 0.04 | 0 | 0 | |
| Kingdom Government of Barbados | 26 | 0.02 | 0 | 0 | |
| Progressive Conservative Party | 10 | 0.01 | 0 | New | |
| Independents | 1,009 | 0.66 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 153,738 | 100.00 | 30 | 0 | |
| Valid votes | 153,738 | 99.70 | |||
| Invalid/blank votes | 455 | 0.30 | |||
| Total votes | 154,193 | 100.00 | |||
| Registered voters/turnout | 258,901 | 59.56 | |||
| Source: Parliament of Barbados | |||||
Aftermath
One month after the elections, Joseph Atherley, MP for St. Michael West, left the BLP to become the House of Assembly's sole opposition member, citing concerns about democracy. Originally sitting as an independent, he set up his own party, the People's Party for Democracy and Development.[6][7]
2020 St George North by-election
See also: 2020 St George North by-election
A by-election will be held in the constituency of St George North on November 11, 2020 following the resignation of incumbent BLP Member of Parliament Gline Clarke, who has represented the constituency for the past 26 years, to accept the post of Barbados High Commissioner to Canada. It will be the first election to take place since the 2018 general election.[8]
References
- Barbados Election Centre Caribbean Elections
- Barbados elects Mia Mottley as first woman PM BBC News, 25 May 2018
- Report on 2018 election at Caribbean Elections
- Electoral system IPU
- "Barbados General Election Candidates 2018". Caribbean Elections. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
- "Bishop Atherley now Leader of the Opposition". The Barbados Advocate. 2 June 2018.
- "Atherley defends move to start new party". The Barbados Advocate. 7 September 2020.
- McLeod, Sheri-Kae (5 October 2020). "Barbados Government Announces Date for By-election". Caribbean News. Retrieved 11 October 2020.